macrossfandomcom-20200223-history
Ranka Lee
, also known as the Little Queen, is one of the main characters of the Macross Frontier television series and its film adaptations The False Songstress and The Wings of Goodbye, along with Macross FB7 Galaxy Flow Soul: Listen to My Song! She aspires to be an idol singer like the "Galactic Fairy" Sheryl Nome, sought the affections of Alto Saotome. She is related to Brera Sterne and has pet whom she calls "Ai-kun". Personality & Character Often seen with her cellphone, Ranka is a lively and upbeat young girl. She is generally optimistic about the future, which serves her well as she slowly realizes her dream to become an idol singer. She would often clash with her guardian Ozma Lee, who can be overprotective to a fault. She develops a crush with Alto Saotome, and would confide with him over her personal and professional frustrations. Ranka unfortunately suffers from post-traumatic stress syndrome, and would often break down upon witnessing combat with the Vajra. This trauma stems to an event in her past that she has never been fully able to recover from. Skills & Abilities Ranka is an innately talented singer whose voice carries powerful fold waves, arguably more powerful than Sheryl Nome whose own voice is enhanced by special Fold Quartz earrings. She also possesses psychic powers which help her communicate with others during times of need. She is one quarter Meltrandi and inherited such abilities as being able to survive in a vacuum for a brief period and having her hair move as a sign of emotion. History Early History during simpler times.]]Ranka was originally born on the 117th Research Fleet, the same colony where the New United Nations Spacy first encountered the Vajra. A brutal attack by the Vajra led to the destruction of the entire colony, leaving few survivors. Ranka was one of the few to escape, along with her brother Brera Sterne and Valkyrie pilot Ozma Lee. What little memory she has of the incident is brought out through traumatic experiences such as witnessing death and destruction. She also sing "Aimo" as it helps calm her down, unaware that it was a song that used to be sung to her when she was growing up aboard the research fleet. Ozma adopted Ranka as his ward, and the two moved to the Frontier colony to begin a new life. Ranka takes up a job as a waitress at the colony's branch of the Nyan-Nyan Chinese restaurant chain, joining her best friend and future classmate Nanase Matsuura. There, she dreams of one day becoming a famous diva like her idol, Sheryl Nome. Frontier Incident teasing Ranka with a paper airplane.]]In 2059, Ranka excitedly purchases tickets to see Sheryl Nome perform her concert tour on the Frontier. On here way to the concert venue, she gets lost and ends up in the forest where she stumbles upon a brooding Alto Saotome. An attack by the Vajra causes her to fall unconscious while Alto commandeers the fallen Henry Gilliam's VF-25 Messiah, and tries to protect her from harm. Shortly after, Ranka joins the Miss Macross Frontier beauty pageant, and sings "My Boyfriend is a Pilot" while Alto is recruited by the S.M.S.. Her guardian, Ozma, is upset at her chosen career, but Ranka refuses to listen to him. Together with Alto, they slowly climb the ranks of their respective profession. Sheryl herself is left stranded aboard the Frontier after her home, the Macross Galaxy suddenly leaves. They all enroll at the pilot training course of Mihoshi Academy where shenanigans ensue. and Sheryl Nome.]]Ranka is cast to star in Legend of Zero, an adaptation of the previously classified events seen in Macross Zero. She takes to role of Mao Nome, and builds upon her relationship with Alto during filming. They are rescued from a rampaging Hydra by the mysterious Brera Sterne, who happened to be her long lost brother. In the end, the release of the film propelled Ranka into stardom. She abandons her previous manager, Elmo Kridanik and is taken in by Grace O'Connor, a move that rankles Sheryl. In the meantime, Brera follows Ranka in class at Mihoshi Academy, uncertain of his intentions. try to uncover the truth of the conspiracy.]]As the war progresses, Ranka slowly pieces together her past and slowly begins to understand her connection to the Vajra. She takes part in an assault against the bugs in what would be known as the "Ranka Attack". Bobby Margot notes how her song's effect on the Vajra reminds him of how Lynn Minmay affected the Zentradi during Space War I. He even dubs her "Super-Dimensional Cinderella", much to Ranka's embarassment, who says the references if fairly outdated. Bobby then compares her to "Basara-sama, whose reference Ranka also finds old-school. Later on, a deadly Vajra attack leaves Ozma gravely injured after he nearly sacrificed himself in a reckless strike. Ozma is admitted to the hospital and admits to his friends that as long as he lives, he would protect Ranka and that he always loved Catherine Glass. Ozma then asks Ranka to have a slice of Pineapple Cake, where she promises to have one later. and Alto Saotome.]]Jealousy strikes Sheryl as she confronts Grace on why she is managing Ranka. Ranka herself continues to be used as a weapon against the Vajra, which upsets her further and further. After a particularly large swarm of Vajra destroy Island 3, Ranka is brought beside Leon Mishima, fresh from a successful coup d'état, to sing in a memorial service. Ranka refuses and flees, wanting to never sing again. She leaves the Frontier fleet with Brera and they search for Ai-kun's homeworld. A series of events leads to Grace seizing control of a Vajra Queen, and possessing a disenfranchised Ranka. Grace uses Ranka's song in taking control of the Vajra network, but thanks to the combined efforts of Alto, Brera and Sheryl, is saved. Ranka then joins Sheryl in a duet while Alto makes his final attack against the power mad Grace, who is promptly defeated. With evil defeated, Ranka joins the Frontier fleet as it settles on its new colony. Other Works Ranka appears in the Sheryl-Kiss in the Galaxy-'' manga by Kariko Oyama. The story begins with Ranka having known Alto Saotome for some time. She participates in the Miss Macross Frontier contest which gains her notice from the public. When she was five years old, she sang "Aimo" on the planet Gallia 4 which made a Vajra appear, which led to her seeing her entire family killed as she escaped unscathed. Later, she assumes the role of "Little Queen" and is manipulated into attacking the Frontier fleet. Thanks to Sheryl, she is freed from her condition and rescued by members of the S.M.S. Relationships ;Alto Saotome :Ranka's crush, and close personal friend. They bond over paper airplanes and singing the song "Aimo". ;Sheryl Nome :Sheryl is Ranka's biggest fan, and the one person she most wishes to emulate. Sheryl grows jealous as Ranka gains fame, and even questions why her former manager, Grace O'Connor abandons her. The pair's rivalry comes to a head when Ranka is captured by Grace and brainwashed to do her bidding. ;Ozma Lee :Her overprotective brother who loves to bake her Pine Cake. ;Nanase Matsuura :One of Ranka's best friends. They both work together at the Nyan-Nyan and are also classmates at Mihoshi Academy. ;Elmo Kridanik :Her enthusiastic manager whom she fired as she started gaining fame. ;Grace O'Connor :Her manager after Ranka fired Elmo. She ends up manipulating Ranka and ultimately brainwashing her for her schemes in the telvision series. Discography Singles *Seikan Hikou **Released: June 25, 2008 **Oricon Chart Highest Place: 5th *CM Ranka **Released: December 16, 2009 **Oricon Chart Highest Place: 5th *Houkago Overflow **Released: January 26, 2011 **Oricon Chart Highest Place: 8th Gallery Nakajima_Megumi_-_CM_Ranka.jpg|Singles cover for "CM Ranka". Nakajima_Megumi_-_Seikan_Hikou_Single.jpg|Singles cover for "Seikan Hikou. MacrossFcosmicCuune.jpg|Album cover for Cosmic Cuune. RankaFriends.jpg|Promotional festival image featuring Ranka, Alto Saotome and Sheryl Nome. RankaLeePromo.jpg|Cute promotional image of Ranka. RankaLee-2_F-1.jpg|Ranka dreaming to be a diva like Sheryl Nome. RankaLee-Na F-12.jpg|Ranka making people go "Deculture!" as she sings Seikan Hikou. RankaAikun.jpg|Ranka and the menacing Ai-kun. LittleQueen.jpg|Ranka sharing a song with Ai-kun, who turns out to be a baby Vajra. RankaDuet.png|Ranka and Sheryl Nome duet. RankaCinderalla.jpg|Art card featuring Ranka as the "Super Dimension Cinderella". RankaArt.jpg|Another Ranka art card. RankaNEcklace.jpg|Special release of Ranka's necklace. RankaUta.jpg|Ranka's special costume in Uta Macross Sma-Pho De-Culture. OpenRanka.jpg|Another cute Ranka illustration in Uta Macross. RankaLee.jpg|Art plate featuring young Ranka singing "Aimo". RankaUtaOpen.jpg|Ranka's Niji-iro Kuma Kuma event at Uta Macross. UtaArt2.png|Ranka for a Christmas event in Uta Macross, hanging up cute ornaments of her big brothers. UtaArt1.jpg|Art plate of Ranka in her construction uniform. UtaArt3.jpg|A coquettish Ranka in yet another cute art plate for Uta Macross. RankaMinmay.jpg|Ranka singing a duet with Lynn Minmay. Pilotcutin ranka ozma pip 0001.png|As seen in ''Super Robot Wars X-Ω Pilotcutin ranka ozma 0002.png|As seen in Super Robot Wars X-Ω Pilotcutin ranka ozma 0001.png|As seen in Super Robot Wars X-Ω Production Remarks During the character designing phase for Ranka, a hairstyle not similar to any anime character was explored, and it finalized to be shaped like a dog's ear by Risa Ebata.“Speaking Kawamori Shoji Macros Frontier and Ranka Lee” “Macros Frontier Ranka Lee Official Book” pp. 126-129. The reason for the independent movement of her hair was due to her being a quarter-Zentradi. Designers found it difficult for her design be both sober and not too flashy. The costume designed for Ranka was made with awareness of this orthodox-ism."Risa Ebata x Yuichi Takahashi: Character designers talk about the birth of a character," "Otona anime vol. 10," 51 pages. Director Shōji Kawamori says that newcomer Megumi Nakajima was discovered in the audition, which helped parallel the growth of Ranka in real time."Shoji Kawamori Long Interview" "CONTINUE Vol. 48" Yuichi Takahashi, director of animation, says that when drawing illustrations of Ranka, that capturing her "heart" was difficult. The setting was "small", and it could not be straight and can not be quite large, so it her design depended on whoever the drawing staff was at the time.PSP Software "Macros Ultimate Frontier Super Space-Time Daughter Pack" Related Products *Ranka, the heroine of this series, has had many goods produced. In addition to the following, they are often drawn on related goods in combination with Sheryl Nome. Book *'Macross Frontier Ranka Lee Official Book' **Released from Ota Press on November 30, 2009. **Mook in the name of "Author = Ranka Lee". Illustrations, character settings, full version Ranka Lee's blog, Megumi Nakajima TV series all 25 episodes review, interviews such as Masaharu Kawamori are recorded. Writing is Akao Deko , Shida Hidekuni. The cover is an illustration of Ranka, who is lying with the pillow of Mr. O. salamander as head. *'Macross F Visual Collection Ranka Lee' **Released from Kadokawa Shoten on February 19, 2011. **This mook contains illustrations of the TV series and theatrical version. In addition to the various copyright illustrations published in the monthly new type, illustrations drawn down are also included. However, the illustrations of Sayonara no Tsubasa were only released before the final episode, and only "Rainbow, Bear Bear" and "After School Overflow". Includes interviews with Megumi Nakajima. Figure *'Action Figure Collection Limited Macross Frontier Ranka Lee' **Released from Megahouse in August 2009. A movable (action) figure of Ranka dressed in orange uniform of Mihoshi High School. Sold at a limit of 700 pieces. Ai-kun also included. *'Excellent Model Ranka Lee NAVer.' **Released in late May 2009 from Megahouse. A figure based on the illustration of the nose art drawn on the mechanical, VB-6 Konig monster appearing in the film. The color of the hair is yellow in the red swimsuit. The prototype is Shuji Nakajima, and the prototype cooperation is Kibayashi Norio. Color is Tc. *'Excellent Model Ranka Lee Daughters Ver.' **Released from Megahouse. A figure wearing a red cheongsam that is the uniform of their daughters. The apron is a separate part and is removable. *'Excellent Model Ranka Lee Super Space-time Cinderella Ver.' **Released from Megahouse. Orange costume figure. It is also possible to replace the swimsuit at the time of Miss Macross Frontier. *'Ranka Doll' **A stuffed toy of the same design as appeared in Episode 22. Made to order with limited production. Emotion style Ranka Lee **Released from Bandai in November 2009. Figure of CM costume of pioneer heavy machine appearing in Izuwari no Uta Hime. Wearing an orange bikini, it also comes with a helmet and a picker. Game *'THE IDOLM@STER SP' **Released on February 19, 2009 (Lanca Related DL Content Distribution on June 30, 2010) **For Sale-Bandai Namco Games **PSP version of a game that produces idols. The game is originally unrelated to Macross F, but the downloadable content is "Ranca Lee costume", "Katanori O Salamander", "Itsuwarino O Salamander", and "Super space-time microphone" on June 30, 2010 Delivery for a limited time from March 31, 2011. It is possible to put on the costume of Ranka to the appearing character. Other *'Chara Con Macross F Ranka Riesval Impreza WRX' **Released in late October 2008 **Sold by-CCP **Radio controlled car with Ranka character decals. The scale is 1/28. Shoji Kawamori conducts design supervision. A illustration of Ranka is attached to a pale orange-white body. *'Chara Con Macross F Ranka Lee (Racing Ver.) Subaru Impreza WRX' **Released on January 30, 2009 **Sold by-CCP **Radio controlled car with Ranka character decals. The scale is 1/28. A setting was also made to participate in a fictitious race called the Frontier Touring Car Championship (FTCC), which is held annually on Island 1 of Macross Frontier. Ranka is sponsored by the daughter and daughter of the Chinese food chain, and the driver is set to Brera Sterne. An illustration of Ranka is on a pale green area. *'Ranka Stage Costume' **Release- Animate Costume Hall ACOS **Orange stage costumes to be worn in Episode 4 "Miss Macross" and Episode 12 "First Test Delivery". **Outerwear, arm cover, skirt, hair ribbon, wristband, knee socks, cosplay set of boots ribbon. *'Super Space Hotel Daughters Special-Made Ranka ☆ Lee' **Launched February 14, 2009 **A curry that has the name of Ranka Lee. Released for a limited time at Tokyo Anime Center. The package shows the illustration of Ranka in the swimsuit. Notes & Trivia *The name Ranka 'means "orchid" (蘭) ('ran) and "flower" (花 or 華), "fragrance" (香) or "summer" (夏) (ka). *According to the director of Macross Frontier, Shōji Kawamori, Ranka is based on Lynn Minmay from the Super Dimension Fortress Macross television series, in contrast to Sheryl Nome who is based on her movie incarnation. Similarities include being of Chinese descent, working as a waitress at a Chinese restaurant and an aspiring singer/actress. References External Links *Ranka Lee Wiki ja:ランカ・リー Category:Macross Frontier Characters Category:Idols Category:Singers Category:Macross Frontier